The Cook’s Kitchen

And what the heck is he doing in there? Well, that’s a steam vent, more more commonly known as a “pie bird” or a “pie funnel”. It’s basically a 19th century baking tool that was invented to stop filled fruit and meat pies from bubbling over in the oven. Many of the older ones you will see are in the shape of birds, hence the name, however they can show up in a variety of animal shapes. Some of the fancier ones I have seen were game birds and roosters. I have also seen them in the shape of lighthouses, clowns and Santa Claus too. Here are several of my pie birds. The blackbird is my oldest one and was made in England. It is a more traditional style where as the pig and the chef could be called American folk art. Pie birds are highly collectible and range in value from a few dollars to several hundred dollars. All pie birds have three common features. First, they have a steam intake vent on the bottom (easily seen on the blackbird). Next, they have an steam outlet vent (the vent on the blackbird is the beak, the chef and the pig have a hole in the back of their heads). And third, pie birds have a wide area (like shoulders or wings) which supports the crust and stop it from sagging during baking.

Using them is really easy. Just set the pie bird on the bottom crust and add the filling. After rolling out your top crust, make a slit in the center which will fit over the pie bird. Then seal the edges and also around the slit, and bake as usual. After the first slice of pie is removed, the pie bird will come right out.

Photo Credits: Author